Late kick announcement cranks up the challenge for Sooners' trip to Florida

That looming trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, just keeps getting trickier for the Oklahoma Sooners. 

It was already known before the season even started that leaving The Swamp with a win would be a daunting task for the Sooners to accomplish, but since then, the Gators have not only proven they’re much improved under new head coach Jon Sumrall, but now Florida’s home-field advantage will be at its best when OU is in town. 

The SEC just announced that the Oklahoma-Florida matchup will kick off at 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 7. That’s obviously even later in Gainesville, with a 7:45 p.m. kick local time. 

It will also be the fourth week in a row that OU’s game will be relegated to SEC Network, further rubbing salt in the wound from a disappointing TV slot for the Sooners. 

Oklahoma forced to take on the Gators under the lights at The Swamp

The late kick was obviously a gift from the SEC to the Gators, while being another obstacle the Sooners will have to overcome while trying to turn their disappointing season around. 

There’s not much proof yet of how much better the Gators exactly are at home at night under Sumrall, but college football common sense promises it’s still a massive advantage. The home fans get all day to tailgate and get ready to be rowdy. Even Sooner Nation can admit the atmosphere is just different when the lights are on at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. 

The only other time this season that Florida has had a home night game was a 66-21 blowout over Florida Atlantic. The Gators, though, were going to win that one no matter when or where it was played. 

Florida also beat Auburn 44-39 in a late game on the road. That either shows the Gators thrive at night or gives the Sooners hope of pulling off an upset even in a hostile environment. 

The setting will for sure make this an upset opportunity for the Sooners now. Florida, at 5-2, is ranked as the 17th team in the country in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll after a bye week. The Gators upset Texas 27-24 the week before in Austin. 

The Gators have proven chaos is lurking more than ever in college football this season, but their ranking will likely diminish or vanish by the time they host OU. Florida travels to No. 3 Georgia on Saturday, and the Sooners know firsthand how difficult life can get against the Bulldogs. 

Even if Georgia hammers Florida, though, Vegas still always benefits the home team. Oddsmakers will favor the Gators even more at night and if they put up a fight against Georgia, so fans can likely expect a cushion in the spread for Florida when odds open for the matchup on Sunday. 

That spread could inflate even more if the Sooners struggle against South Carolina at home on Saturday. 

Brent Venables has led the Sooners into the darkness before, though, and returned to Oklahoma with an unlikely win. 

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